


Where Is Your Boy Tonight?

by WhenIShipIShipHard



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 03:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5231408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenIShipIShipHard/pseuds/WhenIShipIShipHard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My heart started racing, and my head spun. I opened it, heart in my throat. </p><p>Pete: it's you isn't it?</p><p>Fuck. </p><p>[•]</p><p>It all started with some cute drawings and an empty space in a shitty band.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where Is Your Boy Tonight?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first peterick fic, hopefully it's no too horrible. It was a quick little thing, I have more coming up.

_New day, new week, new school, new me_ , I thought to myself on the morning of the first day of my sophomore year, checking my outfit out in my bathroom mirror. Black Green Day shirt, slightly baggy blue jeans, thick rimmed glasses, and a brand new black fedora carefully placed on my head. I smiled a little. _I'm almost... cute?_ This was a new feeling.

[•]

I sat in the middle of the Spanish classroom on the first day of school, right next to one of my best friends, Andy. We had been friends since sixth grade. I scanned the classroom, evaluating the people I'd have to deal with for an entire year. The first bell rang. About a minute later, the door flew open, and someone stepped into the classroom, not even blinking an eye at the fact that he was late. Straight black hair, black Metallica shirt, black skinny jeans, black converse, eyeliner, and an annoyed look on his face. He turned his head and met my eye for a brief second, golden-brown meeting dull blue, but it was enough to cause my heart to speed up a little.

Several thoughts were flitting though my head as he confidently flopped into an empty desk in the back corner or the room, including _fuck oh my god what the fuck I'm straight_ , but my brain was mostly arguing with myself: _he is totally your type, no he's not, yes he is, no he is not..._

[•]

"...she's the cutest person I've ever met," Joe gushed, as we pretended to play volleyball under the sweltering sun, three weeks into the school year. He was talking about his new crush, a girl named Eleanor from his math class. "And when she laughs she does a little thing where she covers her mouth with her hand..."

I smiled at him, and laughed at how lovesick he was. "She sounds great, you have to point her out sometime," I said with a smile. I liked seeing Joe this happy.

"You need to find someone," he said suddenly. "Life's a lot more interesting with a pretty girl in the mix."

I choked up a little. An image of the boy from Spanish (Pete Wentz, I learned, a junior who was in my biology class as well as Spanish) laughing with his friends flashed through my mind. But that wasn't a crush, I wasn't even into guys. "I, um, yeah," I stuttered.

He gave me a weird look, but didn't say anything. After being friends for seven years, he knew where to drop it.

[•]

I continued to deny my feelings for Pete for over two months. Admitting it to myself would make it real, and part of me was terrified of it being real.

[•]

It was around 1 A.M. on a Saturday night, about two months into the semester. I was laying awake in bed, the glow of my phone screen lighting up my face in the dark. Not unusual for a Saturday. One thing led to another and suddenly I found myself searching Pete's name on Twitter. I nearly had a heart attack when I found one result: @petewentz. For a full minute, I stared at the screen, shocked, my mind empty, but my heart pounding. Finally, two words crossed my mind.

_Pete?_

_Fuck._

Slowly, I closed the Twitter app and opened Messages. I had to tell someone, and I had no one to go to but my best friends. Heart racing, I opened the group chat with the three of us. Trying to control my shaking fingers, I slowly typed a message.

Patrick: I think I like someone.

My friends replies were immediate.

**Andy: who??**

**Joe: FUCK YES!!**

I inhaled and exhaled, and took a screenshot of Pete's Twitter, and sent it to them before I could convince myself not to. I wasn't sure why I was finding it so hard to tell my best friends. They won't care that it's a boy not a girl. Right?

**Andy: is that the guy from Spanish?**

**Joe: wait  
Joe: what**

I swallowed.

**Patrick: I don't know I really don't know, he's in my Spanish and Biology, and I think I've liked him since the first day but I don't know I mean I'm not even into guys I don't like guys I'm not gay but...**

Overwhelmed with emotion, I felt a lump start to form in my throat.

**Andy: Patrick! it's ok! it's ok to feel confused and it's ok to like a guy. we're here for you no matter what, you know that.**

**Joe: yeah man you don't need to explain yourself to us. gay or not, you're the same person.**

I exhaled shakily. I didn't know what I was worried about.

**Patrick: thanks guys, this means a lot.**

**Joe: always.**

**Andy: :)**

[•]

Not even three weeks after that, I laid in bed thinking about everything; school, life, Pete. Especially Pete.

The realization hit me like a truck. I was laying in the comfortable darkness of my room, listening to slow music and thinking about the way Pete's hair glowed in the sun, the way his laugh showed off all his teeth and lit up his whole face, and how his jeans were always perfectly tight. And I found myself thinking _oh god, he's perfect, I love him_. My breath stopped short with this thought. I was fucked.

[•]

The semester finished without any incident, and then it was winter break and I had nothing to do but sit in my room and think about Pete. As much as I loved break, I missed seeing his smile every day. I spent my free time playing my guitar and singing. Sometimes I sang songs by my favorite artists, sometimes I sang random lyrics that popped into my head. Most of them were about a boy who I barely knew. It was a little pathetic.

Other times, I drew. I wasn't Picasso or anything, but I took lessons when I was younger, and some of the skill stayed with me. I liked drawing Pete, either from my own blurred memories, or actual pictures of him from various social media. Drawing him allowed me to notice the little things about him, from the way the corners or his eyes crinkled when he smiled to the way his straight hair typically rested on his forehead.

By the end of the break, I had four small drawings of him, no bigger than the screen of my phone, and a string of lyrics and melodies that could probably be tied into a song with a little work.

I texted pictures of the drawings to Andy and Joe, looking for feedback and maybe a compliment or two.

**Andy: dude those are amazing!!**

**Patrick: thanks!**

**Joe: good job!!  
Joe: you should give them to him**

**Patrick: what the fuck**

**Joe: I'm serious! write a cute little note and slip it into his locker.**

**Patrick: you're crazy**

**Andy: that's not a bad idea actually**

Somehow, they convinced me in the end. I chose a drawing of him half smiling, his head resting on his right hand, which held a pencil. The back of the paper simply says  
"I love you <3  
~P"

I wasn't gonna put my initial, but Joe said it would be cute, and besides, Pete probably knew a lot of people who's name started with P.

The day we came back from break, I reached school early to meet Joe and Andy. They smiled knowingly, and I lead them to Pete's locker, heart pounding. There were very few people around, but I was shaking from nerves. I couldn't bring myself to slip the drawing in.

"Oh for fuck's -" Joe grabbed the small paper from my hand, and before I could react, it was in the locker.

"Fuck," I exhaled. "Let's leave."

The next thing I knew, I was in Spanish, and Pete was late. My heart was still pounding from before, and I barely heard what Andy was trying to say to me. Pete came in three minutes late, and sat in his seat like every day. Nothing happened, and the rest of the day was just as uneventful.

For some reason, I was a little disappointed.

The week finished quickly. Though I wasn't sure what I expected, I was a little let down from the lack of reaction from Pete.

It didn't take much for me to decide to put another drawing in Pete's locker the next Monday. And the one after that. And after that.

Suddenly a month had passed. My days were kept busy from school work, but my nights were full of loneliness and longing for someone who I had never even talked to before.

[•]

On Thursday, I rushed out of my last class and met up with Joe and Andy. The three of us hung around the middle of the quad, talking and laughing. I faced Pete's locker, watching him. He turned around to stand and talk and laugh with a group of his friends. He seemed to have an endless number of friends. I smiled as he threw his head back, laughing loudly at something one of them said.

Slowly, all them left, except for one. The one who stayed (his name was Adam, if I remembered correctly) turned to him and the two of them started talking quietly.

Without warning, Pete smiled and wrapped one hand around Adam's neck and leaned in, kissing him on the mouth. Adam wound his hands in Pete's hair. My smile crashed to the ground.

"Fuck," I whispered under my breath. Andy and Joe, who were discussing a math test, looked at me.

"What?" Joe asked.

I couldn't tear my eyes away but I didn't want to watch. It felt like someone had stabbed a knife into my gut and was twisting it. At that moment, I didn't even want to exist; I prayed that a meteor or something would kill me where I stood. My friends followed my gaze, landing on Pete, who had just broken the kiss with Adam.

"Oh," Andy said quietly.

I didn't say a word before quickly turning around, and almost running away.

"Patrick, wait!" I heard Joe call behind me, but I ignored him. It took all my willpower not to break down on the walk home, and the second I opened the door to my empty house, I allowed tears to fall. I barely made it to my room before collapsing on my bed. The image of Pete kissing Adam is burned to the back of my eyelids.

Suddenly I was angry. At myself.

 _Honestly, I don't know what you expected_ , I thought bitterly to myself. _You expected someone like Pete to not date anyone just because_ you _, someone who's never even had the courage to talk to him, has a stupid little crush on him? Maybe if you had talked to him and gotten to know him it would be you, not Adam. But you really fucked this one up didn't you?_

I didn't cry easily, and when I did, it usually didn't last very long. I sobbed for fifteen minutes, filled with sorrow and self hatred. Then, I laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling, doing nothing, thinking nothing. After about an hour, I found enough energy to pick up my phone from where I dropped it on the floor. I had twenty messages from Andy and Joe, asking where I was and if I was ok. I thought about replying to them, but decided against it. Suddenly, my phone buzzed, but this time it was a Twitter notification.

I froze.

It was a DM from Pete.

My heart started racing, and my head spun. I opened it, heart in my throat.

**Pete: it's you isn't it?**

Fuck.

I decided to play dumb at first.

 

Fuck fuck fuck this is bad I didn't even know he knew who I am.

**Pete: the drawings, you're ~P aren't you?**

I felt weak.

**Patrick: um  
Patrick: yeah I am**

**Pete: damn I'm good**

**Patrick: how did you find out?**

My heart raced, I didn't know what to do.

**Pete: I had my suspicions but I didn't really know until now**

I didn't know what to say, but Pete saved me from replying.

**Pete: I really appreciated them, thank you. you're an amazing artist.**

A giant smile spread across my face.

**Patrick: no problem :)**

**Pete: but  
Pete: I don't want to be rude but my boyfriend's a little sketchy about them... until now I really looked forward to them, but...**

_Shitshitshitshit_

**Patrick: yeah dude it's ok I don't want to cause any problems**

I nearly started crying again.

**Pete: thanks man  
Pete: oh and I meant to tell you earlier, but I love the shirt you wore today**

I looked down at the shirt I was wearing. Green Day. God damn, this conversation is an emotional fucking roller coaster, I thought.

**Patrick: thanks! you like Green Day?**

**Pete: hell yes!**

**Patrick: I can play some of their songs on guitar actually**

**Pete: you play guitar??**

**Patrick: and I sing. actually my friends and I have a little band thing going on**

This wasn't entirely a lie; Andy, Joe, and I had met up at Andy's house a few times to jam. We weren't that bad, but none of us had enough time to actually make it a regular thing.

**Pete: dude that's so cool!**

**Patrick: do you play anything?**

**Pete: I'm alright at bass, but nothing special.**

My heart thudded unevenly. _I hope Andy and Joe are willing to make a full time commitment to the band if this works out_ , I thought to myself as I typed my next message.

**Patrick: you should join our band, we don't have a bass player  
Patrick: if you want to of course**

**Pete: that actually sounds pretty great**

I grin from ear to ear. Pete gave me his number, since he was more likely to see that than Twitter DMs. I gave him mine too.

I jumped out of bed in excitement and screamed a little bit. This was not happening this does not just happen to me, it was too good to be true. Suddenly drained of all energy, I sank to the floor and sat propped up against the side of my bed. Tears started to swim down my face, but not all of them were sad tears. With a half smile, I texted Joe and Andy.

**Patrick: I hope you're ready to start a band**

[•]

Going to school the next day was both painful and amazing. It hurt to see Pete and Adam kissing between class periods, hold hands in the hallway, hug now and then. Everything that I could only accomplish in my dreams. However, now that Pete and I had already held a conversation, he eagerly sat next to me in Spanish, where we discussed bands and music throughout the class. I was positive it was clear that I was nervous talking to him, but he didn't seem to notice.

The four of us decided to have a quick practice that Sunday, so Pete could get a feel of our playing styles. I was ecstatic, but I didn't let it show.

Sunday came faster than I had expected. I arrived at Andy's house fifteen minutes early, which was a good thing because I was panicking and he had to calm me down. A minute after I managed to get my heartbeat at a normal pace, the doorbell rang. I jumped up, but Andy gave me a look before getting up to answer the door himself. It was Joe. I rolled my eyes at myself and took a deep breath.

Pete didn't show up for another ten minutes. My heart was going 100 miles an hour, and my face felt hot. Andy opened the door for him and Joe gave me a look telling me to calm down. I took a deep breath. Pete stepped into the garage and took a look around. Andy kept his drum set here because there was no room in the rest of his house, and the garage more or less became the room of random junk for his family.

My breath stopped for a second when I saw him. He was dressed in all black except for a hoodie, which had purple stripes on it, and a black guitar case hung on his back. His usually perfectly styled hair was disheveled, as if he had just woken up.

"Sorry I'm late," he said casually. "I slept in, had to get ready in ten minutes."

I laughed a little and he flashed me a smile that caused my heart to stop.

We ended up playing covers to different songs, and improvising a little bit. My voice shook with nerves at first, but eventually I calmed down enough to sing clearly and play without fumbling on the strings of my guitar.

After the practice, Pete walked over to me as I messed with my guitar a little, an interesting tune forming in my head.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

"Hi!" I replied, a little breathless.

"You did really good, you're an amazing singer."

I looked up, startled. "Thanks, that means a lot. I used to be really insecure about my voice but these two forced me out of it," I said, laughing a little and jerking my thumb at Andy and Joe.

Pete just smiled. "Well, I'll have to thank them for doing that," he said, laughing.

[•]

Two more months passed quickly. Pete, it turned out, was especially good with lyrics, while I was especially good with turning them into songs. The two of us worked perfectly together, and before we knew it, we had written two songs that all four of us were relatively happy with. I was overjoyed with the fact that we were actually writing music. Although I was decent in all my classes at school, I knew music was my calling.

Nothing changed when it came to Adam and Pete's relationship, except maybe they were growing closer, and, from what I could see, falling in love. It didn't hurt any less with time, I just became better at hiding my pain. A week had not gone by where I didn't cry myself to sleep at least once, sobs wracking my body as I tried to stay silent to avoid waking my parents.

I noticed that Pete had started doing something that completely baffled me. Whenever I turned to look at him in class, two out of three times he would be staring right back, before I hastily tore my eyes away. I didn't know what it meant.

It didn't help that every day I fell a little more in love with Pete. Every new thing I learned about him and every little detail about his appearance that I noticed just pushed me in harder. The road out was hard and painful, and I wasn't willing to take it just yet, so I let myself wander on, allowing him to carve a hole deeper and deeper into my heart.

Most days, I was filled with conflicting emotions, happy because I could finally call Pete my friend, happy that I was in a band that made music, happy because things were more or less coming together. But another part of me was weighed down with sadness because no matter how close I got to Pete, I would never be able to touch him and kiss him the way Adam did. And I craved that more than anything else, especially alone in my room at night, desperately cuddling my blankets and wishing Pete were there instead.

[•]

"Spring Fling is coming up," Joe told us at lunch one day, referring to the annual school dance. The four of us were sitting together at a table in the cafeteria. Even Pete occasionally tore himself from his large group of friends every now and then to sit with us, which made me want to dance in joy.

"I know," I said, not answering Joe's unspoken question. He raised his eyebrow at me. I sighed. I really wanted to go, but I was 97% sure Pete would be there too, with his boyfriend. Dancing together and making out in the corner. And that was one thing I wasn't willing to see any more than I had to.

Pete swallowed his food. "I'm probably gonna be there. You guys should come too, it'll be a lot of fun."

"Joe and I will be there," Andy replied. He looked at me. "Patrick?"

I signed again. "I'll be there too," I said, giving in.

[•]

I glared at my reflection in the mirror. I wore a black vest over a white shirt and a blue tie that supposedly brought out my eyes, according to my mother. I didn't see a difference, but I didn't argue. The black fedora I wore on the first day of school sat comfortably on my head. I wasn't gonna get any better looking than this, and even this was kind of pathetic.

I heard a car pull up in front of my house, and the driver honked twice. Joe. I rushed downstairs, a little nervous. I climbed inside his car, and he complimented my outfit. I muttered back a thanks. We picked up Andy, and headed to the restaurant where the dance was held. It was supposed to be a fancy place, with a large ballroom reserved for our school.

Upon arrival, we followed other students into the room. It was mostly taken up by a huge dance floor, and about 30 to circular tables surrounded it. A DJ stood on the far end of the room, playing some popular song.

I scanned the room for Pete, and saw him surrounded by people in the far corner of the room. When he saw us, his face bloomed into a smile, and he left his group to come to us.

I smiled at him when he reached us. He looked amazing, wearing a black vest and a red tie over black tight skinny jeans.

"Hey!" he said.

"Hi," I replied and looked back at his group of friends. "Where's Adam?"

"Oh, he couldn't make it," Pete said with a half shrug. I nodded, but I was celebrating inside.

The clock hit 7, and the party started. The DJ played fast music to get people pumped, and they started heading out to the dance floor.

"Wanna go?" Joe asked.

I hesitated, suddenly apprehensive. I didn't know how to dance.

"I'll join you later maybe," I said, answering his question. He shrugged, before joining the mass of dancing people along with Andy.

I sighed. After a couple songs, I met Pete's eye, who was dancing with his friends. He saw me sitting alone, and made his way towards me. My heart sped up a little.

"Why aren't you out there?" he asked when I was within earshot.

"Can't dance," I yelled over the pounding bass.

"Sure you can," he said, smiling. "Anyone can dance. Come with me, I'll show you." He held out a hand.

I had no desire to make a fool of myself in front of the boy I loved, but I couldn't exactly say no. Signing in defeat, I reached up and let him pull me out of my seat. I shivered at the contact, but if he noticed, he didn't show it.

He led me to the middle of the crowd, shoving past people and recovering annoyed looks. My face was red. He suddenly stopped and turned around to face me, already swaying to the beat. I hesitated.

"JUST FOLLOW MY MOVES. DO WHAT I DO," he screamed over the music. I complied. He smiled. "SEE YOU'RE GETTING IT!" I couldn't help but laugh. His smile grew.

Suddenly, the song changed. A slow love song started playing. The mood over the whole floor changed, and people started dancing with their arms around each other, either in groups of friends or couples. I looked at Pete, trying not to start panicking.

It happened so fast I didn't even have time to comprehend what was going on. His eyes looked darker than usual and filled with raw emotion. I just looked at him in confusion. Suddenly he was leaning closer, tilting his head just a little bit. My heart was thudding in my chest, and I was shaking a little bit. Everything was happening in slow motion. I started to lean in too, and suddenly, our lips met. I had no idea what I was doing, but his mouth expertly maneuvered mine, and I just sank into it. I cautiously put one hand on his cheek, and he made a noise and buried one of his hands into my hair, almost knocking my hat off. I shuddered at the contact. It lasted only a couple seconds, but it seemed like three lifetimes. He pulled back slowly, both of us catching our breath, faces red.

I spoke without thinking. "What about Adam?" _IDIOT!_ I yelled in my head. _WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING?_

Pete just shook his head. "Not now," he whispered, before leaning in again and capturing my lips in his own. I gasped in surprise, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in my mouth. I let him take control of the kiss, partly because I didn't know what I was doing, and party because I felt weak. Time slowed, and the background noise faded until it was only me and Pete, forever. I had been dreaming of this moment for months, all those days of waiting, pining, and hurting, they all led up to this moment. If I were given the choice, I'd do it all again without hesitation.

The song ended, and we broke apart again, still holding each other. Pete's eyes were wild and excited, and his face was flushed. I was pretty sure I was red as a tomato. The DJ played another slow song, and we just held each other and swayed to the music, foreheads touching. I didn't leave Pete's side for the rest of the night, until it was time to go home. I hesitated while saying bye to him, wanting to kiss him again, but he didn't move, so I just waved and smiled. He smiled back, but looked troubled.

I hopped into the back of the car, letting Andy take the front seat. A small feeling of dread rested in the pit of my stomach, but it was drowned by the happiness and wonder that filled me. I had kissed Pete. I had kissed _Pete_. I had _kissed_ Pete. I grinned like an idiot.

"So..." Joe said, smirking. "Wanna tell us about it?"

Andy laughed, and so did I.

"I kissed Pete," I said.

"Oh, we know," Andy said sarcastically.

I just smiled.

[•]

I knew this wasn't the end. I hadn't reached my happy ending yet. Something in Pete's expression when we left the party left a sick feeling in my stomach. After a sleepless night on Friday after the dance, I was able to collect my thoughts on Saturday. For some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still not right.

I decided to text Pete instead of worrying myself over something that could possibly be nothing.

Patrick: last night was a lot of fun

Pete replied almost immediately.

Pete: yeah it was  
Pete: hey do you think we can meet up in person later today?

My stomach twisted unevenly.

Patrick: yeah I'm free later today we can grab coffee or something

Pete: ok  
Pete: meet me at Starbucks at 2?

Patrick: sure

I arrived five minutes early and ordered myself a chocolate frap. I sat at one of the tables, but I couldn't bring myself to drink my drink. My stomach was twisted into knots.

Pete, as usual, was late. When he saw me, he walked over to my table and sat down without ordering anything for himself. I pushed my cup away.

"Hey," I said breathily. Memories from the previous night were vivid.

"Listen Patrick..." he said, as if he didn't hear me. He refused to meet my eye, and my stomach jumped uncomfortably. "I don't know what happened last night," he continued. "I was just so caught up in the music and the atmosphere and you. It was impulsive. It shouldn't have happened."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "But it was amazing," I managed, voice breaking just a little bit. He noticed though, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Wasn't it?" My voice was small.

"Yes, yes it was. It was -" He inhaled sharply. "But I shouldn't have. It was wrong of me. I mean, I'm with Adam! And Adam's great, I really really like Adam. I really do. I just- fuck." He sounded close to tears, and I felt awful.

"Pete -" I didn't know what I was going to say, but he didn't give me a chance to finish.

"I'm sorry Patrick. I really am." He stood up abruptly and hurried away.

"Pete, wait!" I called, half standing, but he was gone.

I sank back down on my chair, face in my hands. A couple tears leaked out of my eyes, and I angrily wiped them away. I felt so fucking stupid. Did I really think someone like Pete would go out with someone like me? Fat, stupid, ugly me?

I got up suddenly, and ran out the door, trying to ignore the sympathetic faces of the people who sat around me.

I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. I had walked to the Starbucks since it was near my house, even though I could drive, but the weather was nice before and I could always use a little exercise. Now, the wind howled around me, and I hugged my arms to my chest, shivering a little. Hot tears spilled from my eyes.

So fucking stupid.

[•]

Pete was avoiding me. He stopped having lunch with us, and made shitty excuses to avoid coming to band practice. He never texted me, and I didn't text him either. Joe and Andy were sympathetic and always there for me, but there was nothing they could do and I started to withdraw from them too. I stopped playing music, or even drawing. It got to a point where even my parents knew something was up, and I had to escape to my room with a weak excuse of homework to avoid conversation when they asked if I was ok. I knew I was being pathetic, it's not like Pete and I were even dating. But I was so so close, and it fucking hurt to have it all ripped away from me.

Three weeks went by with no change. Another thing I started to notice was Pete withdrawing from Adam. I didn't see them kiss anymore, and I didn't see Pete smile anymore. There was no winning, for any of us. Life sucked.

[•]

"Pete's watching you again," Joe told me at lunch one day, looking over my shoulder. He had pointed it out a few times before, and like before, I just shrugged.

"You should talk to him Patrick," Andy said. Andy usually didn't make suggestions like that. Joe was always the one with the ideas. I looked at him in surprise.

"You're both clearly unhappy. Talk to him."

Joe nodded in agreement. I just looked at them, thinking about it.

"What would I tell him? He obviously doesn't want to talk to me, otherwise he would've already," I said, my voice emotionless.

"And I'm sure he's thinking the same about you," Andy said.

I hesitated. He had a point.

"Alright," I sighed. "If I can catch him alone later."

[•]

I cornered him after school. He was walking to the student parking lot.

"Pete!" I called. He froze and turned around. There was no one else around, school had gotten out a while ago.

"Hey, Patrick," he said casually, as if nothing was wrong.

I didn't plan on yelling at him, but I exploded.

"Pete, what the fuck? What the fuck is going on? You can't just stop talking to me, stop interacting with me, and stop coming to practices! Stop pretending that I don't exist! Stop pretending like you don't care. If you really didn't care, things would've continued as they left off. But you can't tell me that what happened at the dance meant nothing to you. I was fucking there, I know it meant something." I stopped, catching my breath. My voice had risen to a yell at the end.

Pete didn't say anything. I glared at him, my eyes wet with tears.

Finally, he spoke. "Fuck," he whispered.

I didn't move, and neither did he. I could tell he was thinking of what to say, what to do. A slight breeze picked up, blowing his hair across his face. Before I could think, I reached up and brushed it out of his eyes. When he didn't react, I let my hand rest on his cheek.

"Pete, please." My voice was full of longing.

He leaned down slowly, hesitant. I waited, giving him time to back out. I expected him to back out.

I melted when his lips touched mine. The kiss was slow and hesitant, and, like before, I let him control it. He sighed into it, and I reached up with my other hand so that both were resting on his face. One of his hands crept up to my hair, the other at my waist.

This was it, this was where I belonged, this was home. This felt right.

"Pete?" An unfamiliar voice rang out, cutting through my calmness. Pete jumped back, one hand still on my waist. I looked towards the voice in confusion. It was Adam, an expression of shock and betrayal evident on his face.

"Shit shit shit," Pete whispered. He was staring at Adam, his expression full of guilt.

"Adam, I can explain, fuck," he said lamely. Adam turned around and started walking back towards the parking lot, where I assumed he came from. Pete looked between him and me.

"Go," I whispered. He nodded and ran after Adam.

Suddenly drained of energy, I sank to the ground, leaning heavily on a wall behind me. My phone buzzed with a message from Pete.

**Pete: don't wait up, this will take a while**

I shoved my phone into my pocket, and stared only space for what felt like forever, but was only two minutes. Then, I heaved myself off the ground and headed home.

[•]

Pete texted me three hours later. I was in the middle of staring at my history textbook, willing myself to start my homework.

**Pete: hey sorry, I didn't mean to take that long I feel asleep as soon as I got home**

**Patrick: it's ok, how did it go?**

**Pete: alright I guess...  
Pete: wanna meet up for coffee?**

The last time I met Pete for coffee, things went downhill fast. I glanced out the window. The sun was shining.

**Patrick: not really in the mood... how about frozen yogurt?**

**Pete: perfect**

[•]

For the first time since I've known him, Pete was there before me. When he saw me approach him, he smiled and hugged me tight. I stroked his hair as he evened his breathing. He let go and faced me.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Today's been really emotional."

"Don't be," I soothed, and held out my arms. He gratefully stepped back into my embrace.

"He didn't take it very well," Pete mumbled into my neck. I nodded. I didn't think he would.

"I never meant to hurt him. And I really did like him." Pete stepped away from me again, but let his hand fall into mine. We found a bench in front of the frozen yogurt place and sat down. Pete continued to talk. "I was really happy when I learned he liked me too, and I asked him out. It was great.

"I had my suspicions about you being the mysterious P who put the drawings in my locker. You would always stare at me in class and such."

I blushed. "Was I that obvious?"

"No, I'm just extremely observant." Pete smiled. "Anyway, I didn't have enough proof to ask you about it. I didn't want to be weird if I was wrong. But I really did appreciate them, and they made me look forward to my Monday's. So thank you.

"Things were going great with Adam. We had only been dating for a couple days before you saw me kiss him in front of the lockers. I saw you turn and rush away, and I decided I would ask you about the drawings. I knew your Twitter because I remembered you following me a while before that. Of course, you confirmed my suspicions. And when you invited me to join your band, I was more than excited. I had always wanted to be in a band, but none of my friends played instruments.

"As I got to know you, I was amazed at how well we clicked. Same interests, same hobbies, and the way we worked together when writing music? That was something else. I didn't have any of that with Adam. Not to mention, you were one of the cutest people I had ever laid eyes on. You intrigued me, Patrick.

"And then spring fling came, and when I saw you, I was left breathless. And when you refused to dance with your friends, but agreed to dance with me, a switch flipped in my brain, and it was like I saw you in a new light. The love song started playing, and that was it, I was gone.

"After that night was over, I felt too guilty to even look at you. I figured if I stopped talking to you, I'd stop feeling things for you. But no matter what I did, the kiss was always in the back of my mind. You were always in the back of my mind. And then today, you started yelling at me and I realized that it was hopeless to resist, and now here we are."

I stayed silent throughout his story, but my heart was singing. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't, I just kissed him hard. I took complete control of the kiss, and tried to convey my feeling through that rather than using words. He moaned a little, and kissed back with equal fervor. When I broke the kiss, gasping for breathe, I leaned my forehead against his and looked into his eyes.

"I was yours from day one, when you caught my eye as you walked in late to Spanish class," I murmured. "Took me a while to realize because I thought I was straight as hell, but once I did, I fell for you harder and faster than anyone I've ever met."

He sighed and kissed me hard and fast.

"I love you, Pete," I whispered. "I love you, I love you."

"I love you too Patrick," he gasped, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as he kissed me again.

**Author's Note:**

> I lost all my italics and bold formatting so I hope it wasn't too confusing.


End file.
